Heavyweight fare

Call it gluttonous. Maybe it's wasteful. It might be a gateway to Overeaters Anonymous.

The Record

Call it gluttonous. Maybe it's wasteful. It might be a gateway to Overeaters Anonymous.

But we had to try the Vintage Sports Grill's 6-pound burrito.

So, on a recent Friday night we took the drive up Highway 99 to downtown Lodi to order the mammoth burrito (to share, thank you very much) and try a few of the sports bar's other offerings.

The Vintage Sports Grill has the friendly feel of a neighborhood sports bar. The front end of a classic pickup bursts out of the wall between myriad flat-screen televisions. We watched college hoops, but it's obvious the room is set up fine for an NFL Sunday crowd or for people to watch a marquee boxing match.

From the shiny varnished tables to the long white, leathery upholstered benches, everything looked new and sparkling clean. Together, it added a lounge-like touch to the sporty bar.

And the big burrito isn't the only fun-to-share item here. We were there in the early evening on a Friday, just as towers of beer began appearing on at least one of the neighboring tables. The cylindrical tower looked like a nifty take on the traditional pitcher. Fish bowl cocktails are also on the menu to serve three or four.

Dining at the restaurant, however, means that you're patronizing two establishments for the price of one. Drinks are served by the Vintage Sports Grill, while food is ordered through a window that connects the dining room of the neighboring Taqueria El Grullense.

That's not a necessarily a bad thing for you taste buds, but be prepared to pay separate checks and keep in mind that the bar hosts a variety of special events aimed at the 20s crowd. For example, we missed the busy "Babes on Bulls" mechanical bull night by one day. We were OK with that.

El Grullense prepares a fine sampling of authentic Mexican fare that delights, and a list of burgers and bar food that doesn't quite stack up to the competition.

We started, excitedly, with the 6-pound burrito ($20).

Described on the menu as 2 pounds of meat, 1.5 pounds of beans, 1.5 pounds of rice, three tortillas, tomato, onions and cilantro topped with sour cream and guacamole - this thing is mammoth.

If you want that exact description, however, you must order 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, like us, you might not get all the ingredients. We didn't get guacamole or enchilada sauce.

We cut in to move portions onto paper plates, and watched as beans and rice poured out onto our plates. It tasted fresh with that authentic Mexican spice that we often crave. Our one complaint is that we're not sure the meat - we ordered chicken - added up to 2 pounds. We had to pick through beans and rice to find the meat.

Now, the Vintage Grill does like to have fun with the 6-pounder, and does offer a challenge. Anybody who can eat the whole thing in 45 minutes gains superstar status at the restaurant. Nobody's done it yet. We left with about 3 pounds of burrito and ate some for lunch on Saturday.

Along with 6-pound burrito, we also tried two other, smaller, items on the menu: The fish tacos and the Smokey and the Bandit burger.

The fish tacos ($2.25 each) were fresh and tasty. We really like that the basa was grilled instead of fried, making the corn tortilla taco lighter. Hot sauce was on the very edge of being too hot for our taste. Next time we'll order the mild.

We were less impressed by the American food.

The Smokey and the Bandit burger ($7.50) was a tasty but dry combination with bacon, onion rings, American cheese and barbecue sauce.

The 6-ounce patty of beef was too done for our taste. So were the onion rings, which had been cooked long enough to have just made the turn from golden brown to just brown. The applewood-smoked bacon was delicious, thick and juicy, but not juicy enough to combat the overall dryness of the burger. The tangy barbecue sauce helped.

Altogether, the combination of bold flavor was good enough to make it worth giving this order a second chance, but a slice of tomato or some lettuce could have better balanced out the total package.

The french fries that came with it were fine, thin-cut and not too greasy. Good with ketchup. Great with the spicy salsa from the burrito.

Overall, we liked Vintage Sports Grill. It's a fun time with good food and sports.